Tin Man: Quest of Desire
by FireOfRa
Summary: Four days had passed since OZ was restored back to the rightful King and Queen. However, as peachy as things should be, something evil still lurks.
1. Chapter 1

DG stood gazing out over her balcony at the castle at Northern Island. Looking out at the magnificent colorful world of the OZ. Behind her playing the harp was Ambrose, a look of lust and satisfaction upon his face.

"Isn't this wonderful DG? I got my brain back, you got your family back. Everything...worked out."

DG continued gazing out toward the sea, a giant fish jumped in the moonlight.

"DG? DG are you listening to me?" Ambrose called.

"Common Glitch. You know me better than that." DG could never get to calling her best friend by his original name.

"Ha you know, I found the TRMD series 21 the other day, I remember hiding it from Azkadellia just before she removed my brain. The Time Removal Memory Device. It's suppose to remove unwanted thoughts and memories from your brain. I was so proud of that creation." Glitch sat back in his seat and let out a long sigh. He smiled and looked at DG who was sulking over the balcony.

"DG?" He asked as he came up behind her. "What's wrong cupcake?"

She smiled, Glitch's corky personality was always a comfort to her.

"Glitch..." Her blue eyes were full of sadness and regret.

"What is it DG? You know, you can tell me anything. They don't call me adviser for nothing." He announced proudly with a chuckle and a snort. He quickly frowned at himself when he realized he snorted.

"It's...It's Azka.."

"Azkadellia." He nodded his head. Ambrose was always quick to finish someone's sentences.

_'I know she's been thinking about it the last few days. She knows just as well as I do that something isn't right with her. It's been four days since the witch was destroyed and OZ was saved. Azkadellia has yet to come out of her room_.' He thought.

"It's alright. We'll think of something."He slightly pulled away, one hand still on her shoulder, he brushed the wet hair from her cheeks that had gathered in her tears.

"I can't help it. Theres just...something not right with her. "

"I know what you mean, but you try sharing your body with a witch for a decade and see how you feel. She's still trying to figure out who she is, what her own thoughts and feelings are."

DG shook her head and placed her hands over her face. "Oh I don't know..." She growled. "It's all my fault."

"No..." Glitch started. "Yeah..but that was a long time ago. You were young and scared." Glitch removed her hands . "I probably would have done the same thing. An ugly witch screaming at me? No way."

DG half heartedly smiled and allowed Glitch to drag her to her bed.

"Now, get some sleep."

As DG crawled in to bed Glitch pulled the covers around her.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"Of course." Glitch agreed. He had the Emerald well hidden. "I checked for bed bugs myself."

DG smiled. She had been so lucky to have met Glitch when she did. If it weren't for him she possibly may have never been able to finish her quest for the Emerald.

"Thanks." She smiled. "Goodnight Glitch."

"Goodnight DG."

_Author's Note...yeah short chapter..._


	2. Chapter 2

Raw stood outside the castle's gates whimpering and holding on to Cain's arm.

"Raw be sad if Cain leaves. Raw want Cain to stay."

Cain sighed and took his friend's hand. "I have to go. My place is out there. There's still some resisters out there that may cause a few problems for the Queen and King."

"Your place is here." Raw whined.

"I'm sorry Raw." Cain placed a hand on his friend's paw and patted it gently.

Raw lowered his head in disappointment as Cain tipped his hat and started to leave.

"I see DG sad."

Cain stopped in his tracks but didn't look back. His shoulders tightened to her name.

"DG cry for you when you not say goodbye." He paused. "Cain wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to DG?"

Cain sighed. It was true, he hadn't said goodbye to her. He didn't no how, he didn't want to. Though Raw and Glitch were both equally a part of their friendship, DG and Cain shared something together that nobody else could. A deep emotion that neither one of them could or would admit to themselves.

"You wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, would you Cain?" He heard the familiar stubborn voice of Ambrose behind him.

Cain turned to face him.

"Oh come on Cain, you know as well as I do what that would do to DG." Glitch spoke as he walked over and comforted Raw. "She doesn't want to admit it but she needs you right now. Just as much as you need her."

"What are you suggesting?" Cain spoke up.

"Cut the crap Cain. You know as well as I do that you two share something special." Glitch looked up at the balcony that lead to DG's room. "Leaving now, like this will only put you both through more pain than what you have already been through."

Cain smirked. '_He's even more stubborn with his brain_.'

"Not to mention, if you hurt her then I'll have to _hurt_ you."

Even though Cain knew that Ambrose would't physically hurt him, Cain had seen him in action before. Ambrose knew his moves and could easily take town Cain if he had to.

Cain remembered the last words he and Mystic Man had shared back in Central City. He had made Cain promise him that Cain would watch after DG.

"I didn't want to say anything to you, Cain. But the Queen was going to personally ask you this herself. They feel that there is still resistors out there who might try to harm DG. She wants you to be DG's..."

There was a ruffling out in the brushes ahead of them.

"What's that?" Glitch jumped behind Cain with Raw behind him.

Cain motioned for them to be silent as Cain crawled forward toward the noise.

"Hey that's Azka..." Glitch started but quickly bit his tongue when Cain shot him an evil glare. '

It was hard to recognize the beauty in the dark as she tiptoed to a cloaked figure with a horse. They exchanged words that nobody could quiet here. She mounted the horse and quickly road off.

Cain stepped forward but Glitch pulled him back.

"Where are you going? You just can't run off after her like that."

Cain motioned for Glitch and Raw to follow him. Standing up and in to full view, Cain greeted the cloaked figure with his gun.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Cain asked him as he pressed it in to the cloaked figure's back.

Glitch jumed out in front of the man with his hands out before him and Raw let out a roar. Cain couldn't help but grin at the sight of the zipper head. He did look rather silly looking so serious.

"You!!?" Glitch stood up rather alarmed.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Dawn**_

Cain's grip tightened on the cloaked man. "What's going on?"

Ahamo looked rather confused. "I'm bidding farewell to my daughter, is that so forbidden?"

Ambrose stood back unsure of what to make of the situation.

Cain let go of Ahamo, "Where is she going?"

There was a long silence between the men before Ahamo answered. "She's gone to finish what she started." He looked away.

Ambrose studied him closely but didn't say a word. His brain playing racquetball as he decided on his thoughts.

"I didn't even know until just now. She told me she didn't want to upset her mother or DG. She had already put them through enough."

"What is she going to do?" Glitch asked quietly.

"Destroy the rest of the longcoats."

"No." Glitch closed in on him. "Why don't you sit down, sire. Take a load off and think about it for a while. You know, I have a wonderful little story I've been itching to tell ever since I got my brain back."

There was a more personal reason why Glitch was acting the way he did. Over the years Glitch had watched his Queen become weaker, all due to Ahamo. Glitch didn't deny that the queen loved Ahamo but he was uneasy about Ahamo's intentions. Like any loyal advisor, Glitch had guided his queen up until the day Azkadellia dethroned her mother. _'If only I had been stronger. None of this would have happened_.'

"I'm not..." The king began.

"I said SIT down, sire!" Ambrose remained calm as he kicked the king in his knee. "You know, for being an advisor you NEVER really listened to me. Even when your wife begged you to."

Ahamo gasped and fell to his knees.

"Glitch?" Cain asked. "Mind filling me in on what you're up to?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Glitch smiled his innocent goofy smile.

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DG awoke the faint light of the first sun brushing against her cheeks as it inched towards it's place in the sky. A cool breeze kissed her cheeks as she stepped on to the balcony, her favorite place since she had returned to the Northern Island.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" She heard her mother call from behind her.

Although aged with gray her mother was still as beautiful as she could remember from her childhood.

"So what now?" DG asked. "Where do we go from here?"

Her mother smiled. It was a warmth to DG, a warmth she hadn't felt back on the other side with who she had thought to have been her parents. This was her real mother, the woman who had haunted her dreams.

"Oh my angel," she whispered as she stood in front of DG. "A very wise man once told me that we cannot demand answers from fate. In time fate will reveal our destinies and when it does we'll know what to do." She took DG's hand and led her out out through the hall and to the grand stair case. "Every once in a while, if we listen close enough we can hear fate calling to us. Giving us a subtle hint of what is to come."

'_Too bad I didn't know that when I was a little girl and heard the cries of the witch. I could have prevented this whole thing. I could have prevented Azkadellia from losing her childhood...I could have prevented the separation of mom and dad...Everything was my fault_.'

"This, my daughter, this will all belong to you soon. Now that your sister has returned to us, you both shall rule with honor and dignity."

DG frowned. "She still hasn't come out of her room yet, has she?"

"Give her time, DG. Perhaps tonight with all the excitement she'll come down."

"Wait." DG followed after her mother who was starting down the grand marbled staircase. "What's tonight?"

"In time." Her mother smiled.

DG stopped at the end of the staircase and painful memories of her childhood rushed back. She remembered the day her mother had taken her away, the day she left for the other side. The day her mother cloaked her memories.

It had been at that very spot DG was standing at that Glitch, or Ambrose as he was called then, had bid her farewell.

"Ambrose!" A young DG threw herself in to the arms of her mother's advisor. A friend that she had adored for so long.

"Honey." He sniffed. "Don't cry." He wiped away her tears. "If you start crying, I'll start crying. Oh would that be a big mess, huh?." He smiled. "Now, be strong for me."

"Ambrose?" DG huffed. "I'm terribly frightened. Will I ever see you again?"

"Oh doll," He kissed her forehead. "Of course you will."

"DG," her mother had stood behind her. "DG it is time." Her voice had been frail and weak.

"Promise me you'll never give up on your dreams, DG." Ambrose called.

"I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

**_The Hall_**

DG found a warm crowd when she reached the great hall. The same hall that Azkadellia and her devilish little creatures had first captured her. There were strange and fabulous looking people, people with green hair, people with three eyes and those who appeared normal. Some were looking up at the giant pillars with what appeared to be blueprints, and others were pointing out certain tiles of the massive floor.

"We'll have to consent with Sir Armose before plans are final but I think it could work."

The mood was a strange and wonderful feeling. A warm spreading sensation started from the bottom of her belly until she burst out with laughter.

As she laughed with excitement those around her also started to laugh. As she passed by they bowed before her.

"Princess DG." One spoke as he kissed dropped to one knee.

"So beautiful." One sobbed.

DG smiled. It was all a bit surreal to her but her whole life up until this point had been. It was like something from a movie; the princess making her way through her obliged kingdom where life had been restored to it's peachy keenness.

Though as happy as things were right now there was still a bit of sadness that haunted DG. Aside for the fact that she was still blaming herself for everything that had happened, there was still a void in her life that she could't quiet place.

"What's going on here?" DG asked as everyone quickly returned to their busy bee schedules. She stopped to ask two odd looking men with bright red skin and hair made of moss.

"So busy! Terribly busy!" One spoke.

"Ok...with what?" DG asked.

"With the plans of course." Another spoke, he was the older of the two creatures.

DG laughed at the dullness of the people. '_It's so hard to pull information out of people here_.' She thought.

"Plans with what?"

"The masquerade of course."

DG looked at him. "Masquerade?"

"Silly girl have you forgotten?"

DG was confused. "For the return of my mother's reign?"

"Do they tell you nothing!?" The old one asked with a grumpy scold.

"Hey little man." DG placed her hands on her hips. "Don't forget who you're talking to." It was then that she remembered that they were both the little tree people whom had captured her when she first arrived to O.Z. "Oh you've got to be kidding me."

They both looked at one another and acted rather scared.

"What..." She began to ask them what was wrong when a voice beside her answered her question.

"Now is that any way to speak to royalty? Glitch snapped.

"Forgive us, your majesty." They bowed as they scurried off to join another group.

"Wait...what are they doing here?" She asked Glitch.

Glitch stood there in the hall facing the giant painting of him and the queen. He had a content look upon his face.

_'I musn't let her see the concern in my eye's_.' he thought.

"Glitch?"

"Hmm?" He asked. "Oh!" He smiled.

"The queen hired them to restore the pillars. The past ten years of ice and cold has taken quiet a beating on them."

"Ah." DG could figure out the rest. The little creatures were excellent with heights and because of their size they were easy to lift when it came to evaluating the highest points of the pillars.

"Ankle Biters!!!" Glitch called after them.

DG laughed as she locked her arm around Glitches and they began to walk to nowhere in particular. "So what's this masquerade party thing that's going to happen?"

"It's to honor the return of the queen's two daughters and the return of the O.Z. to it's rightful ownership." He stopped to face DG and gathered her hands.

"I remember the parties the queen use to throw at the end of every month." He shook his head as he began to drift back to the past. DG listened intently. "They were so vigilantly planned out. They were simply magical. And the music, oh the music! This floor would be covered with dancers. Of course nobody could dance like me."

DG nearly died laughing. For some reason all she could think of Glitch doing on the dance floor was the robot.

"Oh it's true honey. Of course now, now I couldn't possibly dance. I mean it wouldn't be proper for...I mean well it's been so long...I...Well, we'll see."

"There will be dancing?"

"Well duh." Glitch returned. "You can't have a ball without the dance."

DG shuffled her feet and looked away.

"Don't tell me..."

"I don't like dancing...I don't know how."

Glitch stood straight and propped out his chest bone in a silly posture. "It's all about rhythm, DG. It's all about soul."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Deceit**_

Azkadellia tranced through the tower that she had called home for the past fifteen years. A home that had been her prison within within a prison. A mix of emotions ran through her. Pain, fear, hate and regret to name a few. She hated her family for what had happened to her, she felt pain from living alone alone all those years with only the haunting thoughts of the witch to keep her company. She lived in fear of losing control and regretted ever listening to her sister.

"Oh little sister," Azkadellia began. "You're adventures always have a way of getting me in to trouble." She snickered.

Though deep down Azkadellia would never conceive ways of destruction like her once evil inhabitant, she was determined to once again make OZ hers.

"Now that I'm free from the witch, OZ will be all mine."

She tapped her foot impatiently as she stood on the balcony that she had looked over one too many times as an evil sorceress.

She heard the light pattering of feet on the floor behind her.

A powerful voice filled the room.

"No. It will be ours." He paused. "You're late." Young with anger and hate, he hadn't the time for any annoying plans. "Your father told me you'd be here sooner.

She cringed at the sound of 'father'.

"Forgive me," she snickered sinfully. "I had to make a quick stop before I arrived." She nodded in the direction of a man in a corner.

Zero sat in a chair, his eyes gazed in to nowhere and his face was blank with stupidity.

"HIM!" The young voice hissed with anger. "What is the meaning of thi..."

Azkadellia turned to him. "If you expect me to regain power, I'll need someone with experience." She smiled and almost touched her lips to the young man.

"But don't worry, you're still the captain." She frowned. "Jeb."

Cain lazily leaned against a pillar with his hat resting over his eyes and his arms crossed. He smiled as he watched Ambrose and DG dance, or at least attempt to dance, around the floor.

"Owh!" Ambrose would cry out as DG would step on his toes.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She would say.

Cain chuckled, he hadn't had this much entertainment in years.

After kicking off her shoes DG glided across the floor in her socks. Just when Cain thought she had it down she would knock the bangs from her eyes and knock both of them off balance.

"I'm sorry doll but you're making this way more complicated than it has to be. Close your eyes. Imagine yourself floating on s soft white cloud..." Ambrose began but began to think. "Although if it's too soft you'll fall straight through to the pits of O.Z and of course..."

"Glitch..." DG frowned at him.

"Right." He smiled. "And on this cloud imagine it merging with your heart. Imagine gliding through the sky along with the breeze. Kissing the horizon as you go. You know, when you were a little child you and I use to dance here all the time. You were so short then...you use to stand on your little toesies to through your arms around me."

"Toesies?" DG asked with a '_are you serious' _look.

Cain let out a laugh that echoed in the halls.

"Laugh all you want Cain but we were once quiet the dancing pair. Sometimes I think even the best of dancers were jealous of us."

"I know but toesies?"

Ambrose looked at him innocently. "What?"

"Well..." DG glowed red with embarrassment. She hadn't realized that Cain had been watching. Now she felt horribly stupid for not knowing how to dance. Or at least not remembering.

"Close your eyes." Glitch demanded.

DG closed her eyes and stepped up on Glitch's feet. Placing her arms around Glitch's neck she allowed him to guide her.

"You're dancing." He whispered softly.

"_So she is_." Cain whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

It was all starting to slowly come back to her as Glitch whisped her around the floor. She remembered one ball in particular where she was wearing a purple gown and her hair had been in curls.

"You look stunning, my doll." He had said and took her small hand and kissed it.

"Thank you Armose." She smiled.

"May I have this dance, princess?"

"Of course!" A young DG had replied.

As she danced on his toes, she remembered sharing the dance floor with Azkadellia whom had been dancing with Toto. It had been a magical night as the four of them lifted off the floor and danced in mid air. But to her surprise her mother sat admiring her daughters from her throan.

_'Where was Ahamo_?' She remembered thinking.

"Ahamo." DG uttered.

Glitch stopped and stared at Cain.

"Did you tell her?" Gltich mouthed secretly to Cain.

"No." Mouthed Cain and shook his head. He smiled innocently when DG caught a glimpse of him.

Glitch pulled away. "What about him? Another memory?"

DG shook her head. "I'm sure it's nothing." She frowned and flicked her thumb nail against her teeth. 'I_ wonder why he was never at any of the balls_.' She thought.

Wyatt Cain, whom had been swinging his hat from hand to hand placed it back on his head. He had a lot on his mind and was beginning to feel the stress of it. He hadn't been spending quality time with his son like he had expected and the demanding requests of the Queen had kept him on his toes. Up until earlier that morning he didn't think he would have to worry about DG anymore but now a new proposition had raised it's ugly head. Though he liked to stay busy he didn't like to worry. Worry...which was exactly what he was feeling. "Listen kid, tonight's your night. Don't over evaluate your thoughts. Ok? This is your night. Enjoy it and don't worry." Though he meant it for DG, he ironically meant it for himself as well.

"So Cain." DG interupted Cain's thoughts. "Don't tell me you're wearing that tonight ..."

Cain smirked. "No no. I won't be attending."

"What?" DG asked wide eyed. A classic look that usually meant she was about to try to talk him in to it. Cain knew the look all to well of the free willed child. "Oh Cain you have to be here. After all we wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you."

Cain looked away. The kid was pulling on his heartstrings. "I can't."

"I understand." DG looked away.

MORE TO FOLLOW

_~Author's note: Yes I know. I've been a way for a year or so...but I'm really going to try to finish this. Thanks for all your wonderful comments and encouragements!~_


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